Falling Short of a Hero
by sushilover chan
Summary: Alfred wants to be a hero. But being a delinquent doesn't help him get there, does it? Even if he wasn't the best one... Human/Delinquent AU US/UK/US
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey you guys! *dodges bullets* Okay, once again, this is another fic. I know, I know, I'm supposed to be working on AWWY right now, but I have **_**terrible **_**writer's block for that story, and I don't think it will be going away soon. ): Stupid writer's block… But I'll work on it as soon as it goes away! I promise! XD I just want to thank lilcutielian on YouTube for helping me come up with this story~ Seriously, I can't thank you enough! Even if it was just talking to me. Because talking to you gave me the idea~ (: Yess~ I noticed there are **_**no **_**delinquent!Alfred (or at least fail delinquent!Alfred). Well, I haven't seen any. Maybe if I look hard enough, I'll fine at least **_**one. **_**But I highly doubt that, since delinquent!Arthur is so popular. And hot. Hehe~ Well, in a spout of creativeness, I have come up with this story. Let me know what you guys think! As an added note, it switches between POVs, but knowing my **_**total **_**character bias when I write, Arthur's POV will probably be the most prominent. Although I don't guarantee that~ Warnings? Shounen-ai (boyxboy)? Rating may go up due to yaoi? Well, you wouldn't have read this fic if you didn't like shounen-ai, right?**

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><p>This was totally unheroic. Alfred knew <em>that <em>at the very least. But Francis _did _say he needed to do this. He would even _help _him. That damn French cousin of his! As if the _hero _could steal food from the grocery store! He had an epic battle in his head at whether to carry on with his task or not. _Stealing is bad…_ He tried to reason with himself. _…But Mattie is still sick and we're running out of food… _

"Alfred!" Francis called to Alfred, who was still having that epic battle.

_Maybe we could just ask someone to give us some food. There has to be a nice person out there who would help… _

"Alfred F. Jones! Come over here now! You look like a _personne folle_ standing there and staring at the door!"

_But there is a big chance no one would give him anything. Not much anyway. Stealing was the best way to get what he needed. Matthew _needed _to eat. _And with that thought, the American snapped out of his reverie, having won—or lost…depending on which side he was on in his head. That and Francis had given up calling him and decided to pull him inside the market… Very hard the American had to add.

"Mon Dieu, Alfred! Focus on the task at hand!" Francis chided the American. Really now. His cousin was _so _spacey. There were times where he wondered if he was _really _his cousin. The American merely nodded. "So you remember what to do right? It's not that hard." Francis checked the security woman near the exit. _Petite, nice figure, smooth tan skin, soft looking brown hair. Parfaite. _Said woman was indeed short. She had skin that was tan from the sun and maybe genetics. Her brown hair was tied in twin tails with two red ribbons. She had the appearance of a young teenager rather than a security woman working at a grocery store. _Newbie, maybe?, _Francis speculated.

"Yeah yeah. I know. You distract. I steal. Just because it's my first time, doesn't mean you have to keep watch on me all the time," Alfred said in disdain. Doing this disgusted him.

He analyzed the building. It was pretty much empty, save for the cashiers and other staff since it was near closing time. Food and other necessities—like medicine, he noted—stocked the shelves. Since they weren't in the nicest part of town, there were a minimal number of cameras, many areas not having any. He could stuff some of the goods in the pockets of his bomber jacket and keep the rest under his shirt and sleeves.

"Well, considering you are _quite _the _'héros,'" _Francis did not forget to lace his comment with sarcasm, "I figured you would try and do something else and most likely not remember our plan." Which was what he _really _expected. Alfred was too inexperienced in this method of survival, considering Francis usually did this alone but his cousin needed to learn how to fend for himself. Who knew how long it would be until Francis would go out and never came back? Don't get him wrong. He would never abandon the only family he had. It was just the chance of him getting killed or kidnapped out there was just too high for his liking.

"Whatever. Being a hero is better than doing this…" Alfred argued, a pout finding a way on his face.

"Well get used to it. We do this to stay alive. And you should be happy we are only doing this task, mon ami. There are worse things to do." He said in a dark tone.

Alfred huffed. He knew his perverted French cousin was right. There was no denying that his twin, Francis, and even he lived off of stolen food or food they had gotten out of pity. He picked up a basket and walked around the store, while Francis immediately went to look at wine. The American put a few vegetables, fruits, a small piece of meat, bacon, Tylenol, ointment (he never knew when they were going back), soap—being clean was important!—, and one very small tub of ice cream for Matthew. He checked everything and proceeded to pass by Francis, whispering something incoherent to anything but them, while discreetly stuffing the items in his clothing. Francis nodded and took a bottle of wine and walked out the door. The alarm sounded and the security guard went to check Francis. While the alarm was still going off, Alfred walked through the doors. He looked back and saw Francis holding his hands up, looking carefree and smirking when the woman checked him. He knew his cousin could handle that. Flirting his way out was his specialty. The American started running towards his home. It was getting dark and he faintly heard thunder in the distance.

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><p>Arthur looked up and scowled. Of all the days he had to stay after school for student council duties, it had to be the day of a storm and he forgot his umbrella. Dammit. He cursed to himself and used his book bag to shield himself from as much rain as it would allow, which was not much he noted much to his disdain. He started to sprint. His uniform for World W Academy, getting more wet with every second he stayed outside. All he wanted to do was go home. Have some tea. Do his homework. Work out a budget for the upcoming school festival and then get as much sleep as he can. If he was efficient enough, he could get about four hours of sleep. He then felt himself quickly bump into something hard and then fall to the ground.<p>

"Ugh…" Arthur lifted his head off the ground. He had fallen on his back rather hard. "My head." He looked forward, searching for the person he had run into. He found a boy, a year younger than him, sitting in front of him rubbing his arse, various foods and medicine strewn around him. He looked like he had a big build, but not overly huge, glasses covering his face, short blonde hair with a cowlick seeming to defy gravity, its color reminding him of fields of golden wheat. His eyes were clenched shut in pain.

"Awh crap. I think the strawberries got smooshed under my ass. Dammit! I can't wash these pants!" Not unless he wanted to go into the Laundromat and use his charisma to persuade some lady to lend him money to wash his clothes. His eyes opened, only to be mesmerized with a shade of green that reminded him of emeralds. "Uhm…" Alfred stared with his mouth agape. _What a nice shade of green._

Arthur stared back at the person in front him. His eyes… They were so blue. It reminded him of the sky when it was a nice day. Or the deep ocean. They seemed like the kind that would show any emotion its owner had. Even if he was trying to hide them. The student was so absorbed into the shade of blue, that it was after a few minutes that he realized he was staring and that the stranger was also staring back. And after looking at the man in front of him, he realized he was kind of… attractive. _Oh shit! Where did that come from? _Arthur realized the stranger was still staring, mouth agape. He immediately felt self-conscious and hid his face.

"Oi! Stop staring at me you git!" He shouted at the person in front of him.

Alfred was taken back to reality when he heard a voice shouting at him. He made note of the British accent. "Huh?" And he noticed there was a boy in front of him, also sitting up and hiding his face. He was in a school uniform—a World W Academy uniform to be exact. Oh how he wished he could go there. He immediately shook his head and continued analyzing. The boy had messy blonde hair, and was rather slender. He couldn't see his face, as he was turned away from him and covered his face with his hand. He then looked around and saw everything on the floor and he also felt something squishy under his butt. _Maybe putting strawberries there wasn't the best idea._ He groaned and started to pick up whatever left was not squished. "Ah… Sorry I bumped into you, dude. I wasn't watching where I was going." After scooping about half of the items off the floor, he stood and helped the boy up. He then saw that the boy looked a little older than him, even if he was a few centimeters shorter—and he had the thickest eyebrows he had ever seen! He had the urge to pet them. He also saw the green eyes that he was so absorbed in…

"Oh, it's fine. I guess I should have watched where I was going also…" So the stranger was American. Well of course he was bloody American! He was in America for goodness sake! He also had a nice voice. Not deep, but not high either. "Let me help you with that." Arthur crouched down and helped pick up the remaining foods off the ground. He gave it to the stranger, who offered a word of thanks.

"My name is Alfred by the way! Alfred F. Jones!" He flashed him a rather lopsided smile that seemed to fit the American. Alfred would have stuck out his hand as well, but his hands were full.

Arthur quirked up a large eyebrow, which Alfred concluded were very cute, since strangers usually don't introduce themselves. "My name is Arthur. Arthur Kirkland."

"Nice name!" Alfred looked down. _The ice cream! It's melting! _"Crap the ice cream is gonna melt! Hope I see you again, Artie!" And started running home again. Stealing the ice cream would be nothing if it just melted like that!

_Artie? _Arthur's eye twitched at the nickname. "Don't call me that!" He yelled, but the boy seemed to far away to hear. _I hope to see you again, also._ He immediately shook that thought away. He was a stranger! How could he think that! He picked up his book bag and walked home.

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><p>"Mattie! I'm home!" Alfred shouted, as he opened the door with rotting wood, revealing his rather tidy-yet-poorly-kept-at-the-same-time apartment. Matthew, who was lying on the only bed the apartment contained, even though three people lived in the little flat, greeted his twin weakly.<p>

"Hey, Alfred." He noticed that Alfred was soaked. "Oh my God Alfred! You're soaked!" Alfred shrugged.

"It's nothing! Hey, I got some medicine and some food for us! Isn't that great?" He noted that Matthew looked a little paler than he did yesterday. His twin nodded.

"How nice, Alfred. Are you sure you could do it, though? I feel bad for making you—" Alfred interrupted Matthew's sentence.

"Don't feel bad, Mattie! I would have to do it sooner or later…" Alfred's face fell a little. "So is Francis home?"

'

As if on cue, said Frenchman came in through the door with a borrowed umbrella and his clothes in disarray, buttons undone, pants looking like they were haphazardly put on… "Bonjour, ma famille! Le sexy moi est la maison!" Matthew rolled his eyes at his cousin's exclamation, while Alfred cringed at Francis's state of attire.

"Hello, Francis. I'm glad you are home."

"I see you managed to wriggle your way out of the store." Alfred said in disdain.

"Ah~ Cher Alfred, the _petite dame _was very hard to court~ But I managed as you can see~" He said in a suggestive tone. "The jolie femme even let me keep her umbrella~" Alfred rolled his eyes.

"It's not very hero-like to take advantage of girls."

"You make it sound like a bad thing, ma chérie! I was merely spreading l'amour!"

"Whatever." Alfred gave Matthew his ice cream and a spoon and walked to a Superman blanket on the floor next to the bed. "I'm going to sleep. I'm tired." Francis followed suit, but his blanket was a simple purple fleece one. But Alfred couldn't sleep, thinking about the student with pretty green eyes.

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><p><strong>AN: And that's a wrap! Hehe~ I hope you liked it! I was going to make Alfie do more hardcore stuff… but I figured it wouldn't fit his character, and I think he would be just starting out right now. Yeah. Tell me what you think! And AWWY will be going on a hiatus… until when, I have no idea. Sorry! *dodges bullets* Tell me what you think! Until next chapter! Please google the French. My mom is yelling at me to sleep. DX**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: UWAAAH! *slams head against the computer* Alfred makes this fic so hard to write! I now know why people write delinquent!Arthur~ He's easier to write… Bleh~ Anyways, I want to thank all you wonderful people who favorited/story alerted/reviewed this story! I'm so happy! x'D You guys have, once again, made me so happy! (: Well, here goes nothing X3**

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><p>Matthew tried not to listen to his twin and Francis yelling. His cousin had tried to get Alfred into stealing something again. He tried to ignore the worsening aches in his body and attempted to fall asleep. This was one of those times that Matthew had wished he wasn't bedridden. Then he could go out and do those things instead of his older brother. He knew he didn't like stealing. Or anything bad for that matter.<p>

"Fuck it, Francis! I'm not going to do anything anymore!" Matthew heard Alfred yell at the Frenchman. _He's probably still feeling guilty about yesterday, _the Canadian assumed.

"Well it's not like you have a choice. We do this to _survive._ The rent is due tomorrow and if you haven't noticed, _ma chère cousine," _Francis did not neglect to lace the term with sarcasm, "We don't have money to pay."

"What about you? Why can't you do it?" The American inquired.

"I would do it, ma cheri, but Mathieu looks worse than he did yesterday and I figured I should nurse him today. Haven't you noticed? So stop trying to delay the inevitable and do it already! Unless you want your brother living on the streets in his condition." Francis said in a hushed tone, hoping Matthew did not hear what he had said. But Matthew heard. He heard everything. He tried his best to hold back his tears. If only he was healthier. They wouldn't be in this mess…

Alfred's eyes widened. He hadn't realized… "F-fine." He mumbled. Francis sighed.

"You're still guilty from last night, aren't you?" The American nodded. The Frenchman ruffled the teen's hair, making it messier than it already was. "Don't worry. We'll get out of this!" He offered his cousin the most reassuring smile he could manage while giving empty promises that are impossible to keep.

"Y-yeah." Alfred smiled back, though he knew what Francis had said wasn't likely. But it wouldn't hurt to believe in empty promises, right?

"Be safe, Al." Matthew said softly as his brother walked out the door. Alfred smiled sadly.

"I promise." He replied and walked out the door to be greeted by gloomy, poorly kept streets.

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><p>Arthur trudged on the road to school. He couldn't sleep last night, as he kept thinking about the stranger with the deep blue eyes named Alfred F. Jones. He tried to stop thinking about him. What school he went to, if he's okay…. Is he okay? The Brit immediately shook the thoughts away. It was highly unlikely they would see each other again. For one, they met in one of the poorest parts of the city, which he only went through when he wanted to take a longer route home, helping the random residents whenever he wanted, or like the night before, give him time to dwell in all the work he has to do before he gets home… Obviously not safest things to do, but hey, he sort of liked walking through there (as a matter of fact, he was passing through said area)… and Arthur went to World W Academy. One of the top college preparatory schools in the <em>world. <em>These facts _alone _said a lot about how different they were. But they wouldn't see each other again. Right? As Arthur walked along, he saw a familiar figure clad in a bomber jacket run towards him, followed by an exasperated policeman…or security guard. When the figure got closer, he recognized Alfred's face, his expression was covered in guilt. Bewildered by the time the American got closer, the Brit thought of nothing except to get out of the way. And that was what he did. Alfred shot Arthur a grateful smile and kept running, guilt once more appearing on his features.

"Get back here, punk!" The policeman, Arthur realized, yelled after him. The policeman slowed down to a stop next to Arthur, putting his hands on his knees. "Damn. That kid's got stamina," the officer managed to gasp out. He turned to Arthur and shot him an annoyed look. "And you! Why did you let him pass you like that?"

"I-uh… Well, what else was I supposed to do? Let him run into me and becoming a victim of circumstance? I don't want to be late for school because some git decided to cause trouble. What did he do anyway?" The Brit wanted to know what Alfred did give him that sort of expression of regret.

"He stole sixty fucking dollars after flirting with the cashier at the bookstore." Arthur raised an eyebrow. So Alfred was a thief… So was all that food from the night before stolen also? "And he's Francis Bonnefoy's cousin. What would _you_ do?" The officer added.

Arthur looked at the man in confusion. "Who?" What? Just because he came here often, didn't mean that he knew everyone here.

The man stared at him in confusion. "You don't know who Francis Bonnefoy is?" How could you no—", He then registered what uniform the student was wearing. "Oh! You're not from this part of the city, aren't you? Francis happens to be one of the most _annoying, _most _perverted, _sly, and obnoxious juvenile delinquents here. And he's French, so he has that _irritating _accent. He's always stealing things, running around drunk, and having issues with the fact people don't like public nudity. Since he goes out naked," the man grimaced. "Every so often."

How interesting. The American didn't seem like the type to do things like that. Or he was related to someone he already hated without knowing. "Oh. I see…"

"Well, you shouldn't be around these parts, kid. You can get mugged. And you'll be late for school. It's already 7:55." The policeman pointed out. Arthur checked his watch.

"Oh shit!" Never in his life had he been late and he wasn't going to start now.

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><p>Alfred slumped against a wall in an alley where he had turned to. He was so tired. He would have been caught if Arthur hadn't moved out of the way. The American thought he wouldn't move and let him get captured by the officer. He took the money out of his pocket. He still felt guilty about it… but he also felt something else… This time he wasn't thinking at all while he was carrying out his task. Not at all. He actually felt… alive. The rush of adrenaline made him feel… good. He then felt the urge to do it again. The American immediately pushed those thoughts away. He couldn't! Heroes don't think of committing crime, let alone liking it! He let himself drift off. He could get the other forty when he woke up. Just for a few minutes.<p>

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><p>When Alfred woke up, it was getting dark. What time was it? <em>Shit. <em>He still needed to get forty more dollars. Matt and Francis would be worried about him. Mostly Matt though… He got up and started looking around. He had mixed feelings about his life now. Half of it was that stealing and all that other crap was wrong and that he shouldn't do it. The other half is that he knows that this is his life and he liked the rush it gave him. Sighing to himself, he got up and walked out of the alley, grateful he wasn't raped or something like that. He walked around, looking for nothing in particular. He then spotted the familiar mop of blonde hair and blue uniform. Without realizing, he ran towards the student.

"Hey, Artie!" He came to a stop before he could crash into the Brit, who jumped in surprise.

"W-what? A-Alfred! I didn't see you." Arthur stammered out. Alfred laughed.

"Hey! You remember my name! This is the third time I've seen ya in two days! Have you been hangin' 'round here lot?" The American said with a smile. He didn't know why, but he was very happy to see the student.

"Well, someone like you is not very hard to forget." Arthur mumbled. "Well, do you need anything?" He then wondered why Alfred was wandering the streets. Was he going to steal again?

"Nah." The American waved his hands dismissively. "Just wanted to thank you for letting me go earlier today." He scratched the back of his head. "Didn't know what I would do if I got caught…" Arthur frowned.

"Do you feel guilty?" The question had caught Alfred off guard.

"Well, yeah, I feel guilty. But it's not like have a choice. I don't like doing it." He then remembered the pleasant rush and his urge to do the task again. He once again shook that thought away. It was going to become habit he predicted. "And I didn't even get enough to pay the rent. What will Mattie do if we're on the streets?" He mumbled to himself. Apparently Arthur had heard. _Mattie?_ He thought to himself. So there were two others in his life.

"You need to pay rent? How much money do you need?" Alfred looked at Arthur in surprise.

"Ah—wha— You…" Before Alfred could form a coherent question/protest, Arthur had already fished out his wallet from the brown book bag he was carrying around.

"If you can still talk, let me ask again. How much money do you need?" Arthur raised an eyebrow and tapped his foot, waiting for an answer.

Alfred's brain told him to accept the offer. But his mind was screaming at him not to accept. Something about he could handle himself and accepting help was for wimps. Before he could protest, he had answered the question. "F-forty dollars." He slapped a hand over his mouth. "W-wait! D-don't. I don't need it." Arthur looked at him, deadpan.

"And let you steal money from an innocent person? No." Alfred sighed and accepted the money.

"Thanks. Really. I really appreciate it. A lot."

"No problem. Now, you stay out of trouble, boy." The American pouted as the student turned on his heel. _Boy? _

"Hey! I'm at least a year younger than you!" He yelled.

"Of course, kid." Arthur waved his hand and turned towards Alfred. "What school do you go to anyway?" Arthur had been wondering that for a while.

"I don't." Alfred said, giving hints that he didn't want to discuss the matter any further.

"I see. Well, I have to head home now. Mum would be worried." Alfred felt a twinge of jealousy. Arthur seemed like the perfect person. He did the right thing, had the whole world ahead of him (since he went to World W Academy. Everyone who went there were extremely smart or overly talented at something), and he seemed to have a family who loved and cared for him.

" 'kay! Hope to see you again sometime!" He yelled after the Brit. Arthur gave him a small smile. _Maybe I should pass by here more. _Both of them turned around and went their separate ways home.

"Hey you guys!" Alfred yelled out as he got home.

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><p>"H-hi, Al." Matthew said softly. "We were waiting for you."<p>

"Heyya, Matt! I got the rent!" Alfred smiled proudly.

"That's awesome." He said, followed by a fit of coughs. It was then that Francis decided to come into the area, holding a bottle of cough medicine.

"Bonjour Alfred~ Did you get the money?" Alfred nodded. "C'est bien!"

"Y-yeah." Alfred started feeling the guilt again. "I'm going to sleep now. 'Night." Matthew and Francis watched Alfred as he fell asleep.

"You can't keep letting him do this." Matthew said quietly.

"Well, what choice do we have?" Francis countered.

"Job?"

Francis sighed. "If only it were that easy. No one wants to hire _'Francis Bonnefoy's cousin' _And what if I were to not return one day? How will you take care of yourselves?"

Matthew frowned. "Can we get out of this?"

"I don't know."

"I see. Well we should follow Alfred's example and sleep."

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><p><strong>AN: I hate the ending. I really do. ): Well, anyway, bad chapter is bad. Sorry. I couldn't think of anything else because **_**Alfred **_**wouldn't do what I wanted him to do. Hmph. Well, until next chapter! **


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